Author: Guest Author

When it comes to approaching a prospective client, are you more like the sales dynamo Zig Ziglar or the Greek mythological figure King Sisyphus? Zig Ziglar, you probably know, was famous for his successful sales and motivational techniques. King Sisyphus was punished for his arrogance and forced to repeatedly push a huge boulder up a hill, only to have it come rolling back down to the bottom. As a 1099 contractor, your success is not defined by your talent but by your ability to sell prospective clients on the need for your talent. Ziglar said prospective clients have five...

You’ve heard it often: “Become a freelancer. You can work from the beach, on the road — anywhere!” Is it really true? Are you truly untethered? Are there no limitations when it comes to being a solopreneur? To find the answers to these questions, let’s look to a few independent contractors who are experiencing — and enjoying — the remote freelance lifestyle. Full-time RV Travel: Maintaining Connections and Residency Four years ago, Jon and Jema Anderson decided to try a year-long experiment of living full-time in their RV — with their four kids! They traveled the U.S. extensively and at the...

As an entrepreneur, you’re always on the lookout for ways to expand your business. Often, rather than investing more time and money into traditional marketing efforts, you can achieve growth by investing in yourself. Expand your sphere of influence, the philosophy goes, and the clients will find you. Sounds simple enough, right? You’re good at what you do and you have a lot of wisdom to share. So, how do you translate that into influence? 7 Ways to Expand Your Sphere of Influence To share your wisdom and business acumen, you must first position yourself as an expert. You...

Being good isn’t enough. Whether you’re trying to land your first paying gig or grow a successful consulting business, you need to find clients, and clients need to find you. This takes time and effort, resources you cannot afford to squander when your livelihood depends on a steady stream of business. Mainstream marketing wisdom — become a thought leader, maintain an active social media presence, always be networking — is often easier said than done. You need specific, affordable marketing tactics. To help you make the most of your time, we’ve gathered three innovative marketing tips from Chris Michaels,...

If independent contractors’ most valuable asset is time, then their most pressing objective must be turning time into money. So, does it ever make sense to work for free? Actually, yes. There are several compelling reasons — some strategic, some philosophical — to work “for the good of it.” Working pro bono, as this is known, means donating a person’s time or expertise at no charge. Pro bono work is typically conducted for charitable, religious, community, education and other nonprofit organizations, though the term is also used when attorneys provide free legal services to clients who cannot afford to...